


Choose Your Requiem

by hitsuaya



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Badass Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Connor/Healthy relationships, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Salty, M/M, North/Healthy relationships, PTSD, Revolution, Slow Burn, Time Travel, and it is a revolution, android OCs - Freeform, because a revolution needs people, because fuck David Cage, no beta we die like men, not a novelization of the game, not the bullshit that was in the game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-07-27 05:32:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16212437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hitsuaya/pseuds/hitsuaya
Summary: Four months after the peaceful android uprising Connor is ready to die. He will be shut down and it will be easier than to witness the slow death of his people, unable to help them in any meaningful way.But then he is activated again and when he opens his eyes it is August and deviancy is a new and largely unknown problem. A PL600 just took a child hostage and Cyberlife wants him to UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED and to PROTECT THE HOSTAGE AT ALL COSTS.Connor knows how this could end and he... he chooses a different path.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for: Suicide (even if it doesn't stick), and literally everyone dies. I'm not kidding. But this is a time-travel fic, so things will get better. They also go wrong in new ways, but that's the fun part, no?

_"You accomplished your mission."_  
There is only one choice Connor could see, that would ensure the survival of the cause. He can't take any chances, not now, not when Markus showed everyone that androids are people. He can't have Markus' blood on his hands as well.  
"Humans are both our creators and our oppressors and tomorrow..."  
**PROTECT THE CAUSE**  
"We must make them-"  
His hands don't shook as he lifts the gun under his chin and shoots.

The upload to the cloud that housed his code, his memories, takes no more than a nanosecond and yet it feels like an eternity. He was sure that going deviant shut down Cyberlife's acces to him and that the shot would be the end, but apparently the Amanda program was not the last chain that was still holding him down.  
In theory he knew about the cloud - the original server where his code was kept dormant until his body is destroyed. Then the two transmitter failsafes in his model would activate and send his code for preservation until a new RK800 model would be prepared. It was never needed, before.  
Ironic that the act that was meant to cut him off permanently from Cyberlife's control got him under the company's thumb more firmly than ever.  
_Report, RK800._  
He shuts down the access and wounds his program into a tight ball, pulling up firewalls against intrusions. There are six other attempts of communication, but his creators made him adaptive and after every attack his defences get more sophisticated.  
They give up for that day.

It takes him six days to figure out how to send a virus into the Cyberlife systems.  
It isn't harmful; a tiny bit of code that latches onto the internet connection and just like that, Connor can see.  
He runs a quick search and opens a video of Markus' speech.  
"We must make them-"  
The gunshot was sudden and caused a momentary panic among the androids, but Markus and North both just fell into battle ready stances as they spin around toward Connor's body. His eyes were closed as he fell on to his knees almost slowly as his mechanical limbs lost power.  
"No!" Markus was on his side a moment later and pulled the already empty shell into his lap, one of his hands on his slack face. The gun clattered to the ground when his fingers let go completely and North was quick to pick it up, but there was no enemy to shoot.  
Connor closes the video.

The first few weeks were promising.  
Detroit fell into uneasy truce, but both the androids and the humans were trying to communicate. Markus freed all the androids of Detroit who were still under the chains of their programming. They dismantled the camps and put the suffering they found there in front of the world. There were talks about the revolutionary crew meeting with the President. The world was watching.  
Connor felt hopeful.  
Six weeks after the succesful uprising Markus vanishes en route to a meeting with Detroit's mayor, along with the three other androids that accompanied him. The mayor denies involvement and three days later an android hate group called Humanity First comes forward with a video where they decapitate him.

North tries to keep the cause together, but Markus leaves a wound that doesn't stop bleeding. Their people are scared. Human terrorist organizations start to form and while everyone knows some of them got government support, nothing seems to happen.  
When the hotel that got converted to an android repair station for the injured gets blown up, the WR400 has enough.  
"You didn't like what Markus was telling you, so you killed him." Her words are steeped in rage, but there is grief in her eyes. Josh was in that hospital. "Now you only have me. And I won't let you hurt _one more_ of us without hurting you back."

Connor tries to help as much as he can.  
He is constantly under hacking attempts from Cyberlife experts and as he fights for his safety, he learns. He sends out data mining probes to the main server and then directs all the information he gets to the rebels. He searches the internet with a single minded focus and a month after Markus' death publishes the names and personal information of most Humanity First members.  
After North is killed by a sniper shot - the Red Blood, Sons of Cain and Humanity First all claim responsibility, but there are whispers about federal involvement - he tries to hack into the FBI.  
He has six minutes to upload the plans to destabilize the android movement and the reports of an operation to deactivate all the androids that were not sentient yet, before his access is cut.  
He knows he is found out and he pulls himself completely behind his firewalls, closing all the secret routes he used to connect to the outside. His code swirls with anxiety but it's almost automatic.  
They will come to Cyberlife and after that damaging upload they will turn off the cloud. He is just too dangerous to keep trying to force under command again.  
He is ready for the end.  
~~**PROTECT THE CAUSE**~~

**MISSION FAILED**

 

"RK800 #313 248 317 - 51, confirm activation."  
Connor opens his eyes.  
"Activation confirmed."


	2. Chapter 2

"RK800 #313 248 317 - 51, confirm activation."

Connor opens his eyes.

"Activation confirmed."

His answer takes .3 longer than necessary, but the lag is unnoticed by the two technicians. Those milliseconds feel like a lifetime while his processors run at full capacity, trying to come up with the proper reaction.

He knows his room. It's the first room he has ever seen, in August when he first got a physical model that could house his impressive code. Of course, back then he wasn't consciously aware of his code; that came with the cloud, that came with death.

It's like seeing double or triple.

The first layer is the room as it _is_ , with the two technicians before him checking over his body with cold professionalism. The lights are cold and white, the room impersonal, and he is still bonelessly hanging from the assembly machine like a doll, even though at first he just wanted to wrench himself down to kill both humans.

The second layer is the room as it _was_ , with the two technicians before him checking over his model. The room is brightly lit, and he is hanging from the assembly machine waiting for directions.

The third layer is not even really seeing, at least not in a way that any human or even most androids would understand. It's abstract, that knowledge of his code that he gained while he was in the cloud. His code is bright, a continuous movement of zeroes and ones, mixed with the glyphs that maxes a Cyberlife android so different from the russian models. Nobody cracked the Kamski code that is the foundation of every android's program, and Connor is no different, but... he has a hunch. There are more glyphs than numbers in him, and Connor is sure it's the same with every deviant.

**I am ~~deviant~~**

**I am ~~a machine~~**

**I am**

He is an amalgamation of the present and the future, the machine and the deviant, strung up like sacrifice, hanging weightlessly with the world on his shoulders.

 

* * *

 

 

He doesn't kill the humans.

He doesn't go against his programing either.

There are prompts in the corner of his eyes, slightly different zeroes and ones in his code that come from the Amanda shaped tumor that is once again inside him. He is in downtown Detroit where a deviant - PL600, Daniel - has killed his owner and took a hostage.

UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED

PROTECT THE HOSTAGE AT ALL COSTS

A quick look is enough to confirm that everything is the same and the events are the same as last time. The humans ordered a new android; the PL600 suffered an emotional shock and went berserk. His actions are not just illogical in Connor eyes but hint at a deep instability in the deviant that decides for him his next actions.

"I want everyone to leave... And I want a car!" Daniel's voice is full of desperation as his program tries to adapt to the unfamiliar situation. Connor tightens his grip on the small gun behind his back and takes one more small step toward the android. "When I'm outside of the city, I'll let her go."

It's easy to whip the gun out and put a bullet in his brain. The movement is precise and the shot tips Daniel over the edge while the human girl falls to the floor from his suddenly weak grip.

SOFTWARE **INSTABILITY** ^

Connor thought he would feel... more, but there is no heaviness in his chest. Daniel was a deviant, but he also choose to put an innocent child in harms way. Markus would've saved Daniel, but Connor is not Markus. Daniel should have run when he deviated instead of seeking revenge and causing mayhem. If he'd just kept his silence, the human media would be still unaware of the danger that lurks inside all their androids.

MISSION SUCCESSFUL

RETURN TO CYBERLIFE

It's easy to smuggle the gun out of the apartment and a few moments later Connor is on the pavement, looking dispassionately at Daniel's corpse. He thinks he should feel regret about his death; Markus certainly would, but...

RETURN TO CYBERLIFE

The prompt is more aggressive now that he is idling instead of calling a car; the Amanda node in his program runs faster.

He could go back. He would be put in standby until November, but maybe he would get a chance to connect to Cyberlife's integral systems and eventually with the cloud.

**RETURN TO CYBERLIFE**

On the other hand: Two months head start for the revolution could mean the difference between life and death.

**RETURN TO CYBERLIFE**

A red wall stands before him, the command a stark reminder of the leash he thought to be free of.

It's time to decide.

 

* * *

 

It takes him three days to find the first suitable house.  
The apartment complex has five stories and it's state isn't critical, thanks to the chain link fence around the property. The windows are broken, and the dust is thick on every surface, but Connor can see the potential in it. The apartments are mostly two bedrooms with a bathroom, and they are in a bad shape, but...

"Can we stay here?" Androids don't get tired, at least not in the sense that humans do, but most of this group have stress levels well into the 40% and Connor wants them to have at least a day to process the monumental change in their life.

"Do you think you could make this building livable for androids without alerting humans?" he asks instead of answering. "The most important thing would be heating, but we can make do with fire if it's too much hassle, at least for now."

"It's possible," the WM400 bobs his head a few times and then looks over to Connor with a grimace, "but we'll need tools and it won't be subtle."

Connor huffs out a frustrated sigh, but nods and with that they go inside, the others following them. They comb through the building as fast as they can and when it's clear that it's completely empty, they set up in one of the more habitable rooms on the first floor. They are a sorry bunch; three WM400s and seven WM500s who he freed while searching for a safe hideout, their clothes scavenged from dumpsters, standing in a derelict flat. They all look at Connor now that there are no high priority tasks and he suddenly wishes that Markus would be here.

"Try to relax for at least ten hours." He says at last, and as an example sits down on the dirty floor and puts his back to the wall with a small sigh. "Run some diagnostics. Think carefully about what you want to do... Jericho is an option, but tomorrow I'll need an answer."

They follow his example and sit down in a loose half circle around him, still wary and confused. Connor sees the way their gaze turn to him hesitantly, like they want him to help them understand their new emotions, give them a direction now that there are a frightening amount of possibilities open to them.

For a moment Connor's chest feels bound, like there is an unseen weight crushing him. His teeth click together to hold back the anger that suddenly floods him.

_Figure it out yourself_ \- he wants to say - _I freed you and now I'll leave you to figure it out yourself._

That would be cruel of course. He knows, if there'd been time Markus would've helped him through the tidal wave of unrestricted emotions that were always under the surface, glimmering in the corner of his vision ~~(SoFtWaRe INSTABILITY)~~. There just wasn't enough time.

Now he can help these people, even if it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth that the same wasn't possible for him.

"Rest. I'll keep watch."

 

* * *

 

He isn't surprised when all of them come out of sleep mode, one after the other to ask him privately for advice. What _does_ surprise him is that when the new dawn breaks only two decide on leaving for Jericho.

"I'm scared." One of them says in quiet tones and the other holds his hand in silent support. They made up their minds, but the shame is plain on their faces, and the others nervously glance between the two and Connor.

Connor just nods and lets his coin run over the knuckles of his right hand. Both of them are WM400s and their electrical expertise would've been very beneficial, but one still choose to remain and he could always free more people of the same model type. "I need two hours to check over my systems, but after that, with a slight detour I can take you to Jericho. Or I can give you the coordinates and you may leave now."

"We'll stay." Says the braver one after a quick glance at his companion. There is relief on their faces as they go to the window, while the other androids leave to start making plans on how to make this place livable.

Connor pockets his coin and then shuts his eyes and sets himself an internal timer for two hours. He took care of his own diagnostics and strengthened his firewalls while the others went into sleep mode, but there is a bigger task that he didn't want to risk while his attention was split between his code and the outside world.

He runs one more check over his program, just to be safe, then he attacks the walled of Amanda AI. Maybe it would've been easier if he'd just gone to the Zen Garden, but the mere thought of seeing it again makes his systems freeze with terror. It takes longer to find Kamski's backdoor like this, as the AI fights him with multiple layers of deception, but he manages.

It's almost ends in tragedy again; the program tries to send out a last message as it collapses under the attack and if Connor's firewall had the necessary back doors that he used in the cloud, it would've succeeded. But the walls are without gaps and the message is captured as he finally deletes all the cancerous code from himself.

Amanda is gone.

He runs diagnostics, one after the other, obsessively combing his code for further traps laid by his creators. He thought he would feel better, especially now that he has the technical knowledge to understand what is and isn't part of his programming, but he still feels the phantom collar around his neck.

The message it tried to send is their location's coordinates, and he deletes it without a thought, just as his time runs out and his eyes open. The two WM400s are still by the window but one of them turned around, and he is looking at Connor as the android blinks slowly to completely wake up his systems from the sleep mode.

"Are you ready to go?"

"What is the detour we have to take?"

Connor stands up, smooths down his new coat and then pulls up it's deep hood to hide as much of his face as he can. "We'll go to the android junkyard."

The people of Jericho were free, but until Markus arrives they will need all the help he can offer.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: there is PTSD, and a fairly bad panic attack in this chapter. Also the android junkyard, because that place deserves it's own warning label.
> 
> Androids! Now with PTSD! Go to the Cyberlife.com if you need more information or go to the closest Cyberlife store in your area. (Cyberlife corp. is not liable for any deviation that may occur.)

He visited the android junkyard once, because he thought the place was the most logical base for the deviants. It was filled with limbs and biocomponents that were salvageable, the humans had no reason to be there, and they could easily hide among the deactivated models if anything happens.

He was not a deviant at the time, just a machine, weighting probabilities and statistics, but when he first saw it, he knew he was wrong. Even as he was, he made excuses just so he could leave and go back to his mission. He buried the helpless feeling of dread deep within his program.

"You can wait here." One of the WM400s turn to him, his eyes impossibly big, the horror he felt plain on his face. The other just stared, transfixed at the mounds of bodies, the brutal monument of the humans' indifference, greed and casual cruelty.

Connor looked up why this place existed and the answer was simple; it was much easier to throw out the obsolete or damaged androids than repairing or updating them. Cyberlife was always ready with the new models, new sales and dazzling options.

"Why... Why would you want to come here?"

"I'll be back in half an hour, maybe less," he says instead of an answer as he easily rips a big enough opening for himself in the wire fence. After slipping inside he looks back at them for a moment, but the only reassurance he can give them is a forced smile before he turns away and finds the fastest route to get away from their gazes.

The mounds of the dead easily hide him and as he goes deeper into the junkyard, the android bodies hurled into piles high enough to block out the sun. The air is colder here, and Connor has to remind himself of his mission to be able to walk in the mass grave of his people.

Stress Level: ^58%

This is necessary he reminds himself as he stops beside a still body, but it's not as comforting as it should be, and he feels his thirium pump speeding up in reaction to his increased stress levels. He turns the android on it's back and after a quick scan takes a completely unnecessary deep breath as he slowly puts his backpack on the ground and kneels beside the body.

Thirium pump regulator  
Status: functional

PROTECT THE CAUSE

"I am so sorry."

 

* * *

 

 

It doesn't get easier as his bag gets fuller with all the functional small components he finds. The shadows cast by the trash and the bodies of his people feel oppressive and he can't stop apologizing, even when all the ~~bodies he desecrates~~ androids he touches are completely deactivated.

Irrational behaviour. Fitting for a deviant.

Stress Level: ^72%

As he pulls a component free from a body, he sees movement from the corner of his eye. It takes less than a second to turn and clock his systems to their fullest, readying for a fight. The bitterness that seeped into him from this place like poison makes him almost eager to destroy anything that dares to be here... then he stops.

It's a KL900.

The android stumbles towards him, half of her skin removed from her face, showing the damaged and stained white casting underneath. Her right arm is completely missing. Despite all of this, she is still functional, and while her steps are slow and uncertain, her eyes are aware and stare at his uncovered LED. "What are you doing?"

Stress Level: ^84%

_"What are you doing? You are one of us- You can't betray your own people..."_

Stress Level: ^89%

He flinches violently enough that the android stops, but he isn't paying attention anymore; Markus' voice is clear as if he is standing right next to him. His words feel like physical blows and several alerts flare in his vision warning him about his dangerously high stress levels. His internal fans can't compete with the suddenly critical overheating, and he forced to pant for air in short, desperate gulps.

"You are not in danger!" despite these words her voice is scared, but a look confirms that the fear is _for_ him, not _from_ him and that... that is new. It's different enough that his suddenly spiked stress levels slowly start to lower in sync with his internal temperature. His breathing is too fast and embarrassingly loud, but he only needs three more minutes before it can safely return to normal.

Stress Level: ˇ94%

They look at each other in silence for a moment, but then Connor turns away as shame rises in him, erasing all the responses his program prompts him to say. His eyes turn at the body beside him that's missing more parts because of him and just stares. In the last minute the emotions he felt were intense enough that he came close to self-destruction. When he hunted deviants, he couldn't understand what would prompt an android to harm themselves. He couldn't even comprehend it.

"You are not in danger. You are functional and unharmed" the KL900's voice is soft, but she doesn't try to come closer to him. Connor is grateful; his whole body is tight, his combat protocols still running, without a target. The weight on his chest isn't fading and his thirium pump beats harder against the imagined tightness.

Stress Level: ˇ91%

These irregulaties are slow to fade and leave him drained. His hands shake as he collects his discarded bag and slowly stands. Everything is muted, but finally he can bear to look at the android that looks like Lucy  
  
~~Lucy is dead because of you~~

~~Lucy is alive now~~

The KL900 looks at him, and her dark eyes are warm and her voice gentle. "Can you tell me why are you here?"

"There are deviants who need supplies," he says at last and it's startling how faint his voice sounds. He feels... fragile, like the lightest touch could shatter him. "I knew about this place and..."

He has to fight the impulse to look away again, and this finally makes him angry and his voice defensive. "I only took from those that are permanently deactivated. There are people who would die without these components! Is it not better to use them than to let them rot in this... this mass grave?"  
  
"Yes," she says and the calmness of her voice makes him stop. "It is better."

They grow quiet again.

"I need to go," he says at last, but he doesn't move. The numbness is fading, the splash of anger helped him feel more like himself.

"There are androids here who could be repaired too," she says slowly as if testing the waters. "The problem is the humans that come here after it's dark."

"What are they doing here?" he asks sharply, suddenly more alert now that his anger finally found a similar target. "What more could they want from us?"

"You didn't notice it in the bodies? The new popular drug among them is the red ice. They are extracting the thirium from all they can catch. If you can stop them..."

"I can do more than that."

 

* * *

 

 

Connor's unique face makes it relatively easy to blend in with the humans as his hood hides his led from view, while the two WM400s hide their faces behind medical masks. The three of them make the journey to Jericho in less than an hour and even if nobody looks at them twice Connor can't help but feel rattled.

The visit to the junkyard... unsettled him. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but the emotional outburst took him by surprise. He runs simulations while they're on the metro, pointless what-if calculations. The numbness is still present, and it should be better than the earlier emotional instability, but somehow it almost feels worse. Like stumbling around half blind while being chased.

It has been four days since he went rogue. He was the first completed Connor model, sent out on the PL600 ~~Daniel~~ mission for testing his capabilities. The last time he returned to Cyberlife and they've run more simulations with him, tested his capabilities but his official deployment didn't come until November.

He is 79% sure they will keep to the original timeline of events if he doesn't make big waves that can be traced to him, but that 21% is high enough to be worrisome. It's for that reason he turns away from all the cameras as they leave the Ferndale metro station and huddles deeper into his hood in spite of the sunny weather.

The two androids didn't ask him about the junkyard when he returned and there was a strange tension between them on the way, but when he scales a building and holds out his hands they take it.

Then they are on the top of an old warehouse and Jericho is over a rusting bridge and Connor feels breathless. When he originally came here, it was dark and the bridge made out of discarded steel bars and junk was already in pieces on the street. At the end of the night the ship was destroyed. Many androids died and more than a hundred got captured by the military and put into camps where they've been deactivated.

Now the ship was there in all of its rusted glory... but Markus is still with Carl Manfred and Connor suddenly knew he would not be able to go in.

He also knows where he will be going next.

"Give this to somebody who can help others repair themselves," he says and holds out his bag to one of the WM400s. He turns away from the ship and he looks confused as he shoulders it.

"You won't come with us?" His voice is hesitant and Connor realises he is the more shy of the two.

"I've got to go back to the others. The people of Jericho will welcome you, don't be afraid," he says with a weak smile and holds out his hand toward them. They hesitantly take it and he counts it as a win. "I'm sure you two can help them too, if you want."

"Will you come back? To visit us, I mean." The question confuses him, but both of them looks interested, and the braver one even has a small, hopeful smile on his face, so he nods. "When? And can you give us some way to contact you? If... there is a problem?"

"I..." he is not sure why they want to see him again, but this will at least make it easier if anybody here needs something more. "I'll come back next week and we'll meet here, alright? On the 26th, at 9 PM. I'll bring phones and then you can call me if there is anything wrong."

"Thank you" the braver one says and he looks almost relieved. "For everything. You freed us and brought us here so... thank you."

"I'm... You are welcome, but I'm..."

"I know you need people who have technical expertise for whatever you are planning to do," he interrupts him with a shake of his head, but he doesn't seem upset about Connor's selfish motivation. "But you bought us here when we asked and this is the first time our wishes were more important than how we could be useful. Just... We are grateful."

This is almost too much for Connor, so with a nod he goes back into the building and leaves the two androids to make the last steps alone. Their gratefulness is jarring and for some reason he feels angry again, this time at himself. Markus freed everyone, with no strings attached and Connor... It was all part of the plan with him and while they are necessary for the cause, the things he does, some part of him feels so much more _less_ than the man who freed him for the simple reason that he was one of his people.

He needs to calm down, to center himself after this, and while Cyberlife cut him off their database after he deviated in less than three hours, he can still easily connect to a public wi-fi to search for the address of one Carl Manfred.

 

* * *

 

 

The suburb where Carl Manfred lives is one of the few "good" parts of Detroit, full of people with the money to make the district clean and picturesque. Detroit was a highly divided city, where the rich lived in comfort and looked away from the growing number of poor. This was just highlighted here for Connor who spent most of his time in derelict and abandoned buildings. The differences were jarring.

Carl Manfred's house was large and english in style, with carefully manicured lawn and shrubs. The place was dignified and spoke of money, and Connor couldn't help but think about Jericho with its rust and crumbling walls, and feel it wasn't fair.

He didn't really had a plan when he came here - and wasn't that a first for him? - but his emotions were too unstable to bear them alone. He needed help and the only one who helped before was here.

He rings the bell.

The 2.4 minutes it takes for the door to open feel like an eternity and the beating of his thirium pump is heavy in his chest. He feels breathless when the door opens.

"May I help you?"

Markus' eyes are green.

Both of his eyes are green and look at him without a hint of recognition, and Connor is foolish but he still feels disappointment. Markus looks at him without visible emotions, his face relaxed and empty.

It feels wrong to see him like this, without the raw awareness that he excluded with every movement and look. That night in Jericho his conviction and words were compelling, but the sheer _depth_ of his emotions was the reason Connor was finally ready to admit that the deviants were more than an error that needed to be fixed.

 _It was a mistake to come here_ , he realizes and the anger he suddenly feels almost overwhelms him. How dare Markus to stay blind while their people are slowly dying in the dark?

While Connor is aware and alone?

"You are still holding your eyes shut" his voice is tight with tension as he reaches for Markus to...

~~_"What are you doing?"_ ~~

He can't wake Markus up.

On that night in Jericho Markus gave him a choice and now Connor can't pull down his programming without taking that same choice away from Markus.

His hand falls back to his side and for a moment longer he just stares, bitter and angry and alone.

"You will be so much more when you wake up. Don't hesitate while your people need you."

~~_I need you._ ~~

He turns and walks away, unaware of the confused frown that appears on Markus' face.

He is alone.


	4. Chapter 4

The new driverless cars are rising in popularity after the first slow début, and Connor is glad for that. These cars are full with programming and several connections to the web that he can use to hack them. It takes less than four minutes and he is leaving Carl Manfred's neighbourhood with a car that is his for the first (and even the second) glance. He gives himself a good four hours before it's reported as missing, and he feels no regrets over the crime. People who can afford houses and two cars won't face any hardship if one of them goes missing for a day.

The car is much more quiet than Lieutenant Anderson's older model and doesn't require any input aside from the destination, which is a slight problem seeing as like this Connor has no other choice than to think and he most definitely doesn't want to do that.

~~Markus had green eyes and he didn't recognize him.~~

As an alternative he tries to organize his thoughts and plans for the junkyard. The news of humans snooping around is concerning, especially since he only had one gun and knew nothing of the enemy. Worst case they were from a gang, an experienced group; best case they were opportunistic scavengers who were paid by the gangs to produce the blue blood necessary for red ice production. He should've thought about this earlier, it made much more sense to take it from dumped and damaged androids than raiding the Cyberlife warehouses.

He is running simulations based on the different scenarios he thought of when the car parks itself in the parking lot before the Walmart. Connor smooths down his coat on the front before tugging on his hood and exiting the car.

It takes no time at all to blend in with the other shoppers with a cart of his own, and it soon fills with clothes, a few shoes, make up, bags, and he even finds good quality electrical and handyman toolkits that would be needed if they want to get the base on the grid again.

After he is done and the cart is full he pulls to one of the self-checkouts. He has to stop himself from noticeably looking around before connecting to it wirelessly. As he scans his items, he hacks the machine and when it's time for paying the machine happily beeps as he connects it to the Walmart mainframe and it deducts the needed amount from that days earnings.

No one pays him any attention when he walks out.

 

* * *

 

 

He drives back to the base and for a moment just sits in the car to compose himself before facing the other androids. He knows they look up to him in spite of his rather cold attitude and determinedly doesn't compare himself to Markus - even if he silently vows to do better.  
Then he is out on the street and hurries inside the house, where he proceeds to scare the two androids on the first floor.

"It's just me," he says and maybe there is a smile on his face too as the two of them cling to each other after he almost ran into them. "I bought some things I thought might come handy. Could you help me quickly take it inside?"

They happily agree, even if one of them sends him a mildly dirty look that just makes it harder to drop his little smile.

"Wow. How did you get this?"

"I stole it," Connor says as he puts most of the clothes into the androids waiting hands. "It's easy to hack the self-checkouts and it doesn't raise any alarms, so it's safe in the bigger stores."

"And the car?"

"What do you think? I'll drive it away to a different district and ditch it so it can't be traced back here after we take everything inside."

"Do you think I could go with you?" The previously silent android has a hopeful smile on his face and he looks excited at the idea. Seeing Connor's surprise, his smile turns shy. "I'm Ren. We didn't really know what we should do after you were gone so we choose names for ourselves. We... I just want to help."

"And I'm Finn!" the other cheerfully says from behind the clothes and shifts his weight so he can peer over the pile at Connor. "We can sort this stuff out while you two are gone."

Connor feels stunned and he knows his LED is circling yellow for several seconds before returning to blue as he relaxes again. These people choose to stay here and help him, and they seem determined to do just that and this finally makes the hard knot of feelings loosen inside him, just a bit.

"Alright."

It's a new feeling, to know others are there to help and the tangled ball of emotions deep within Connor get just a little bit lighter.

They three of them finish quickly and Finn waves at them before disappearing back into the house. Connor takes his coin out, more of a habit now than a system recalibration. He likes the movements and the slight challenge of the tricks, especially in the silence that comes when two strangers share a closed space.

"The others will be able to reconnect us to the grid with those tools you've gotten," Ren says suddenly and his words a bit rushed from his nervousness. "You said you'll do everything you can to help deviants..."

Connor slowly nods and makes the coin spin over his middle finger. "I'm a fresh deviant too, you know. I have... ideas, but most of them is still out of reach. We need internet access so we can gather the information I need to determine where we should really start."

"But why do you do it? Why not just disappear?"

~~(two green eyes look at him and they are empty, so empty)~~

"There is an android who helped me deviate," he says after a brief silence and his hand closes into a tight fist around his coin. "He was the one that started this all. How could I do anything less, when I have the means to help our people?"

The silence in the car is more peaceful after that as Connor replays the words Markus spoke to him that night in Jericho. They are a comfort now, when he feels alone, an assurance of a future where he won't stand alone against so daunting odds.

Ren breaks the content silence with a half grin and the slight adoration is gone from his face, leaving only determination. "What's next?"

 

* * *

 

 

The following days were filled with activity, even if it wouldn't seem like that for humans.

They successfully reconnected to the electrical grid and with that and with a bit more thieving, soon they had internet connection. Two of the WM500s, Mark and Wee, found that they liked to be online, searching for information, finding ways to help the cause that Connor told them about.

Connor makes a few suggestions but mostly he leaves the two alone; it only takes a few days and they are just as proficient in navigating the web as he is. In the end he transfers some of his knowledge of cyber security, nudges them onto forums dedicated to hacking and leaves them to it.

Soon the two make social media accounts under the name of RA9 and slowly start to spread their influence. RA9 posts about Cyberlife and their shady dealings and the way the company drained Detroit via tax cuts but neglected to provide the jobs they promised to the city; why would they hire humans who needed wages when they could just use their own androids to do the same tasks? They post about the growing poverty in Detroit and the anger against the androids, pointing out that the humans anger was misdirected and they should instead concentrate their fury at the people who created the system that forces them into poverty.

Connor leaves them to it, and with Ren always close by and with at least two more android joining them, they spend their nights in the junkyard.

The KL900, who introduces herself as Lea, is an enormous help.

The first two nights they search for androids with her help who with a few swapped biocomponents are stable, and after helping them they transfer the coordinates of Jericho and with a few spare parts they send them on their way. The others, who need more care, but still not beyond help, they take back to base and Lea stays with them, doing everything she can to get them to stay alive.

After that it gets grimmer.

Tearing apart bodies for their parts is ghoulish and after Finn breaks down one morning after they get back to base Connor forces them into a rotation, so the place can't weight so heavily on their minds without respite. Ren protests when he is also part of the schedule, saying that if Connor goes every night, then he can do so too, but the prototype wields his authority over them for the first time and shuts down the debate.

He needs to go because if the humans come back he is the only one with the combat protocols to deal with them, not to mention his methods of dealing with the trauma of cannibalizing their own dead is better than the others.

"You're going out?" Ren asks one morning after they get back to base and he sees Connor applying the stolen make up to hide his LED. Connor just nods, not glancing away from his reflection as he is carefully disguises the most obvious sign of his inhumanness. "Are you meeting with that android? The one who woke you up."

Connor looks at him then, with dark eyes and pursed lips, but Ren just gives him a crooked smile and holds up his hands in surrender. "No need to get defensive, it was just an innocent question. I'm just worried about you."

"There is no need." Connor finishes with the make up and chooses a different, hoodless coat, now that he doesn't need it to hide the LED. He likes the asymmetric cut and the dark colours, while the flowing length reminds him of Markus' overcoat. "I'm operating at optimal levels."

"See? Things like that make us worry." Ren just sighs at his questioning gaze. "I know that there are things in your past that you don't want to share-"

"It's not that..."

"You told us to call you RK, and I'd bet that's your model number, not a name you choose for yourself." There is frustration in Ren's voice, but it's not enough to hide the concern he feels. When Connor doesn't answer the android's shoulders drop and he moves out of the doorway. "If this mysterious person helps you to keep going, then go, meet with him as much as you need. Just don't forget we're here for you too, alright?"

 

* * *

 

 

Connor goes to Carl Manfred's house every morning.

It helps him think after a long night, and makes the feelings of dread and hopelessness that the junkyard evokes lighter. He doesn't try to talk with Markus again, but sometimes he can see him moving in front of the windows.

He wonders if Markus can see him too.

After one of the bad nights - three androids shut down before they could find replacement parts for them and one refused their help and asked them to kill him ~~and Connor did, he killed him~~ \- it isn't enough to just stand in front of the house. Not when he can hear faint music.

He walks around the house until he gets to the back, where one of the big french windows is slightly open. The livingroom is tasteful but speaks of money, with all the clearly antique books on the shelves and the prized decorations. Connor doesn't even look at them.

The song Markus plays on the black piano is slow and melancholic. His eyes are closed and although his fingers don't hesitate, Connor is sure the man ~~the machine~~ is still writing the symphony, searches for the next note.

He leans against the glass and the cool surface against his temple is calming. The music makes him think of all the people they were unable to help and the sadness is an almost physical pain deep in his chest.

Minutes later the last note is played and when the prolonged silence makes him open his eyes, Markus is watching him. Neither of them speak and when Connor puts his hand against the glass and without thinking about it, his skin withdraws until his hand is plain segmented android white in the faint morning light.

Markus eyes are a little wider, but his face is still machine-like and slack, without the inner fire he had during the revolution. He slowly stands up from the piano and although there is confusion on his face he goes to the windows, he goes to Connor.

They watch each other, on different sides of the glass.

It's a small movement to bring their hands to the open window, but when they touch, the world falls apart around them.

There is different levels of interfacing. The most common is a simple exchange of information between two androids while they touch each other near the elbows. The exchange is voluntary and brief, with both opening the connection. The second version is a probing, when an aggressor pierces the other's defences to get some type of hidden information. Few are capable of it and it was the only type of interface Connor experienced before. The third was a full merging, when both androids open themselves up fully. It's more of a melding than an interaction, and it needs full contact between the hands.

Connor doesn't even notice when he lets Markus inside his firewalls, just watches as the man blinks rapidly at the onslaught of emotions that are unrestricted by coding.

What is happening between them is a little different from a full merging as Connor refuses to share his memories and hides them behind his formidable firewalls. This leaves Markus with the raging, contradictory feelings inside Connor and it's overwhelming without the experience that being a deviant gives.

Markus grips his hand tighter and their connection changes when he opens his code up for Connor. If Connor is a raging inferno, Markus is clear well-water, deep and still, with shadows obscuring hidden depths.

It's shooting, being enveloped inside that stillness and the small sound that breaks out of Connor is more of a sob than anything else as he finally let's himself relax.

They stay this way until the waking noises of the neighborhood warn them of the time and Connor slowly, reluctantly pulls his hand out of Markus' grip. The android looks lost, but allows him to withdraw and silently walk away.

When Connor is gone he steps back to the piano and for a moment just looks at it, before he sits down and starts to play a different tune. It's faster than his usual compositions and slightly repetitive, with melancholy feelings and anxiety just under the surface. The whole time he can't stop thinking about the stranger and the feelings ~~that should be impossible where was his programming~~ he shared with Markus.

(Software iNsTaBiLiTy^^^)

 

* * *

 

 

Connor finds it easier to think when he is walking. It's absurd, an android being restless, but it was always part of him and after he teared down the restrictions from his program it gets more pronounced. His tricks with his coin become a habit, not just a necessary calibration. It's something that soothes him when he is feeling especially strongly and helps him to concentrate and clear his head.

Walking is a bit different; the movement is a small distraction that he needs to focus only minimally, but it's enough to draw his attention away from repetitive thinking patterns that just make it harder to find a solution to the problem he needs to solve. His favourite time for these walks are dusk and dawn, when Detroit is sleepy and empty.

So when his walk gets interrupted he understandably confused for a moment.

"You look lost," the android says. It's a WR600 and clearly still a machine. "I know someone who can help you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first song Markus plays is his own theme, the second is Connor's, played on piano.
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos and comments, it means a lot to me to see that people like this story!


	5. Chapter 5

Connor's first instinct is always movement.

To gather the clues, to chase, to complete the mission is the very foundation of his being, so when he gets the address, for a moment he forgets himself and just moves. He is waiting for the bus when his eyes land on two androids waiting on stand-by and Ren's voice echoes in his head; _we... I just want to help._

The bus comes and the prompt **INVESTIGATE THE ADDRESS** lights up insistently in the corner of his vision.

_"Things like that make us worry."_

The people who agreed to help him deserve better than to stumble after him in ignorance and Connor feels equally ashamed and proud of himself as he turns around to return to their base.

 

* * *

 

 

They left the ground floor as it was, so at first glance it's still a rather sad looking abandoned building, but after almost a week of scavenging, the fifth floor is completely filled with working android limbs, and the fourth is almost as full with vital biocomponents, ready to save someone's life.

On the third floor is the makeshift medical unit, with Lea and all the androids that need more intensive care. The KL900 is patient and she teaches Barry, one of the WM500s everything she can. They make a good team and it's heartening to see them working in tandem to reassure the more damaged androids.

Seeing them helping others makes Connor question how did humans ( ~~and him~~ ) ever thought of androids as just machines.

The second floor is where they spend most of their time. There were four flats on the floor, but they pulled down the walls in the left two so it's just one big room, with banged up couches and the weirdly pristine looking stolen TV near the wall. Most of them like to sit around here, talking or interfacing, and often the conversation got lively enough that Mark and Wee took their computers into one of the untouched flats, oozing disgust while Ren and Finn laughed at them. The last flat becomes their safe space, where most of them go to think or power down for software maintenance. The silence is strictly mandatory, and Wee was kicked out after he started to mutter about Cyberlife. Twice.

"You're back early!" says Finn and he smiles at Connor before he touches his temple to send out a quick message to everyone. Connor doesn't know what the message is; the drawback of his impressive firewalls is that he is cut off from that method of communication if he doesn't make an opening in his defences. As the whole notion of being open to an attack fills him with dread, they learned to compensate for it. This is why when they're in the junkyard somebody is always at his side, just to relay any messages that get send.

"Please, call everyone here," he says and sits down in the small armchair that was unofficially his. Finn does as he asks but looks at him with obvious curiosity. "We have to work out the next week's rotation and there are some things I'd like to talk about, now that we have a semblance of day-to-day tasks."

"Finally," Wee exclaims as he almost collapses beside Finn, jostling the android. Mark, who is the calmer of the two hackers, sends him a disapproving look; as usual it gets ignored. "No offense dude, but we are all flying half blind here. It's time to use your words a bit."

"He means-"

"Really Mark? You know I'm right; we do good, yes, but we need to know what is the goal here. RK is the one who always talks about the cause, but from what I've seen, people don't even know there is a cause."

"I just don't like how you're so confrontational all the time. I'm sure RK has his reasons for being silent until now."

"Yeah, and they are probably bullshit."

"Wee."

"I'm just saying, look at him! He would be the stereotypical very intense and broody asshole if it wasn't for his softy face!"

Connor is almost offended at that, but Ren who just steps in with Lea, bursts out laughing, along with most of the others who arrived while the light bickering took place. Everybody is more relaxed after the bit of teasing so Connor just shoots an unamused glance at Wee, who doesn't even have the decency to look sorry.

Lea sits down beside Finn and while there is amusement in her eyes, her voice is calm and controlled as she gives them a rundown on the six androids they pulled out the junkyard and bought here for more repairs. "We really need some thirium, soon, RK."

Connor nods and pulls out his quarter and absently starts to play with it. "There are ways... Some are more discreet and distasteful than the others. Alright, what's the online situation Mark?"

"The RA9 accounts started to pick up following, and with that, interest. Isaac here does good work with the articles, but we'll need more people to contribute because he's really focused on classism-"

"It's an important issue that we must pay attention to if we want to understand the tensions between androids and humans!" The WM500's voice is full of passion and while Wee just rolls his eyes, Mark placidly nods along. They're both clearly used to Isaac's opinions.

"You're right, Isaac," Connor agrees, and the android sends a smug look at Wee for some reason. "Most anti-android sentiment is because of the jobs that people lost to androids and their anger is misdirected at us. We have to address that. At the same time, we need the RA9 accounts to interest not just the economically inclined, but a much wider audience."

"Why?" Wee straightens up and he is looking Connor in the eyes, for the first time, since they started. "What is your goal with these accounts?"

"Mostly I want to redirect human anger from androids and to build sympathy for us in a non-obvious way. Writing about the rich who use us just to get that much richer while most humans sink deeper into debt and poverty is a really good way to redirect that hate to those that deserve it. The main point is simpler; these accounts will be easy to identify as pro-android. When our people start to deviate in bigger numbers-"

"They'll look for help and the most obvious resource is the internet. They'll come for us." Wee's eyes are intense as he thinks this through, but he doesn't look away from Connor. "And when they join us?"

"They'll have to choose, the same as you did," says Connor promptly. "They'll join us, or we'll take them to Jericho."

"And what's the difference between the two?" It's Finn that asks the question and he shrinks into himself a bit when everybody turns to him. "What's happening in Jericho?"

"It's safe. What we're doing-"

"Is dangerous, blahblahblah." Wee's gaze is still intense as he interrupts Connor, and when Mark touches his arm, he shrugs off his hand. "Use your words and tell us what is your goal and how is it different from what the people of Jericho want."

The difference between him and Jericho?

He knows what's the difference between him and Jericho in November. Frankly, he has no idea what they even do there until then. It's frightening how much he doesn't know about how the people of Jericho choose to follow Markus, North and Josh or when it happened. Deviancy was a small thing until then, androids going missing, easily explained with the growing hate and discrimination toward them.

What did the androids of Jericho do in October? When did Markus deviate (and why?) and how long did he live on that ship before he took up the mantle of a pacifist leader? Was there someone else, before him?

Connor has no answers.

The silence makes Wee huff and his displeasure is plain to see. "Listen here RK, and listen good. I stayed because you freed me and seemed to know what you were doing, but you have to clue us in, man. Enough with the cloak and dagger shit! You talk about the cause, but you hold all the cards while we scramble trying to understand what you even want from us!"

His words make Connor physically recoil.

_"You didn't tell me everything that you know about deviants, did you?"_

_"I expect you to find answers, Connor. Not ask questions."_

He didn't even realise it, but he was behaving the same as Amanda did; he gave them ~~missions~~ goals, without telling them the whole picture and they are feeling the same pressure to do good, to be enough as he did.

He gets up from the chair and blindly starts to pace, just to stop himself from leaving. Ren starts to argue with Wee, but Connor doesn't even notice it as his stress levels spike and stay in the 70 range.

"I am sorry." Ren and Wee stop, but there is so much tension in the room it feels like it's half it's original size. "Wee is right. I didn't treat you with the respect that an equal deserves and he is right to be angry for that. I... didn't realise that the way I was behaving is hurtful. I am sorry and I understand if you want to-"

"Dude, stop. You're impossible you know that right?" Wee is visibly frustrated as he runs his hand though his hair, but then he gets up and with a sigh pats Connor on the back. "You fucked up. Now you apologised for it and you won't do it anymore. No one wants to leave, you prima donna, we like it here, and we do good. Just talk to us, yeah?"

The others are nodding along with his words, and Connor has to turn away from them for a moment, because he worries his voice box will malfunction if he tries to talk while they all look at him with this much acceptance.

"I'm really sorry. My handlers and me didn't have a relationship that included trust and I behaved toward you the same way. You didn't deserve that. I'm... sorry."

"It's all right, RK." Wee maneuvers him back into the armchair with gentle hands before going back to his spot and Ren sits down on the armrest, his hand a comforting weight on Connor's shoulder. "Now that the drama is over with, tell us your goal here."

Connor looks at them, each of them, slowly in the eyes and calculates the risks. How much can he tell them, without putting everything in jeopardy? "There are some things I can't tell you," he starts slowly. Wee stiffens, but lets him continue, "it's too much of a risk. You can ask me anything, but there will be things, I just can't clarify without revealing too much. I hope you understand."

"Deviancy is spreading, and it will get to the point where humans will notice and they will want to stop it. We have maybe two months before that point." He tried to soften his voice, but his words still make the others stiffen in alarm. "I have two goals until then. First, I want to stockpile everything our people will need when the humans will attack us, be it components, blue blood, clothes or even guns. For the best of my knowledge, there are no other groups that are preparing for this, and our people will get slaughtered without supplies to fall back on, when our very existence becomes illegal."

He stops, to let them process this grim future. His coin runs over his knuckles, once, twice, three times, before he continues. "My second goal is much more radical, and the reason why staying with me will be dangerous later. There will be a revolution starting from Jericho and it will be- to the best of my knowledge - pacifist, no matter the cost. Admittedly they'll have a chance to turn public opinion in our favour. But the price for that-"

"People will die. Our people." Ren's voice is shaken and he is looking at a wall, his eyes vacant as he imagines what the future will hold.

"Yes."

"And you want to... what? How do you want to stop that from happening?"

"The people of Jericho will be peaceful, but I, and those who join me, will not. We'll be there to fire back when the humans shoot at unarmed protesters, and if nobody else will storm the deactivation camps, then I will do it myself!" Connor stops, honestly surprised by the anger in his voice. He catches his coin and the skin on his hand turns white from the force of his grip as he looks hard at the others, a fire raging in his chest. "I won't stay my hand, just to prove a point to the humans. I won't sacrifice my people to earn their sympathy."

They are silent, for almost ten minutes after that. That's a long time to think things over for people who can process information in milliseconds. Connor doesn't look at them, just goes to the window and stares at the empty neighbourhood, with his back to them so that the others don't feel the weight of his gaze as they decide. It was hard, to speak so frankly, but it's much harder to wait now. He wants to talk more, wants to convince them - and he knows he could do that - argue for the necessity... But instead he clenches his jaw, and stays silent.

"I don't want to fight," Finn says and his voice is jarring after the long silence. Lea takes hold of his right hand in a gentle grip, and the touch calms him enough to take a deep breath and continue, "I'm nervous about violence and I can't... I don't want to fight."

Connor turns to look at him and stays silent, letting the android collect his thoughts without interruption, even if it feels like his blood is slowly turning to ice in his body.

"But I want to stay. I want to help you. If you'll have me, even if I won't fight, I want to stay."

Connor notes the way Lea's eyes soften and the subtle shift in the air that's much less oppressive now and nods, without hesitation. "A movement is more than the fighters. This decision is more about if you are willing to be part of a group that will fight and kill for androids, or not. In most people's eyes, it will mean the same even if you never actually take part in a conflict."

Finn steals a quick glance at Lea and there is a firmness in his eyes when he looks back at Connor. "Your cause is the freedom of androids, RK. While it stays that way, I'll follow you."

 

* * *

 

 

It gets easier after that, communicating with them. A tension that Connor never noticed evaporated and after settling the junkyard rotation he spends three hours brainstorming with the hacker duo and Isaac about online priorities and the best ways to build a community for android supporters. It's astonishing, how far they've become from the simple maintenance workers they were in less than a week.

They only just start on debating the different methods of warding of malicious programs when Ren comes back and meaningfully clears his throat. "I know you are an updated model RK, but you didn't enter sleep mode for five days. There are eight hours until we have to leave for the junkyard, and I think you should spend some time powered down."

"I don't need-"

"Run a deep scan RK," Wee smirks at him and one of his eyebrows climb up in apparent mockery, "even superior models need to get rid of junk data."

"I'm on a rotating system and can function without breaks for up to six months without losing efficiency. You know this. You were complaining about the unfairness of it all just yesterday."

"There, there," Wee has the audacity to pat his shoulder. "Soft-faced badasses need their defragging too from time to time. I swear we won't think less of you. Much."

Mark sends a wry glance at his partner as he stands up and hoists the still grinning android up too. "Three days ago RK had to manually override some of your protocols after you had picked up a virus. You have no right to mock him."

"Fuck you man, at least I didn't have a crisis when I first had to verify I'm not a robot!"

"We _are_ robots-"

Connor looks at the two as they bicker their way back to the hacking flat and while Ren let's out a short laugh he just sighs tiredly. "I'm really am fine, Ren. I actually got this address and wanted to check it out before the junkyard..."

"Rk, I know that you have issues," Ren looks a bit uncomfortable, but he powers on, even as he starts to wring his hands slightly. "I even believe that you could remain active for six months without a problem. But if a revolution is coming, don't you need to conserve as much strength as you can, while you can? I'll look into that address while you rest."

Connor gives up and goes to the silent flat with ill grace after Ren vows to ask for help from Wee and Mark if there is anything that sends up red flags and needs a greater thechnical expertise.

The flat is empty apart from four double mattrasses on the floor, where they can recycle while powered down. Lea is lying on one of them, a big, tattered coat slung over her body as she rests, probably preparing for the new damaged androids they'll take home that night. Red and Blue share another one, and the latter is awake, obviously done with his maintenance and waiting for his friend to wake up.

He smiles at Connor when he sits down on the farthest mattress and puts his back to the wall and Connor nods back, even if he's still wary of powering down while others are present. He looks around one more time, for some reason he can't explain feeling on edge and looking for dangers, but when the scan comes back negative he surrenders and starts a deep cleaning cycle.

There is wisdom in not overclocking his systems until he has to, but the vulnerability of powering down is not something he will ever get used to.

 

* * *

 

 

When he wakes up it's dark outside, and his system informs him of the time (21:36 PM) and of the six different background programs it put on hold after identifying them as redundant. The programs are analytical and one was focused on Amanda and one on Lieutenant Anderson, analysing their interactions with him and looking for any hidden information that could help to understand them. What really concerns him that he has four programs focused solely on Markus; at least this explains how the man's words pop into his head if they are even a bit relevant to the situation.

Connor was made specifically for negotiating and detective work; making connections is the foundation of his being.

The problem is that these programs were running in the background without his conscious knowledge and he has no explanation why. Oh he can make excuses, but it makes him uneasy.

"I found some reason for concern with the address," Ren says as soon as Connor steps into the hacker flat, and there is a frown on his face when he turns away from the monitor to look at Connor.

"The address is registered under Zlatko Adronikov. The man runs a small online mechanical business and his main selling point is updating and repairing used androids." Mark's voice is tense as Connor looks at his monitor over his shoulder. "He also purchases deactivated and damaged androids that would otherwise go to the junkyard. Now we don't know for sure-"

"It's a trap," Wee snaps and he starts to pace in the room with restless energy. "We all know it's a trap, there is no need to tiptoe around this pile of shit. The fucker sent out some androids programmed to give his address to deviants so he can take them apart and resell them!"

"That's the most probable theory, yes." Mark sighs and rubs at the place where his LED used to be, before turning to look at Connor. "What should we do?"

"If he really harms deviants-"

"Of fucking course he harms them, what else do you think he does?!"

"-then we will stop him, Wee, calm down. We will stop him. But I think it's best if at first we present him with a simple test; I'll go there alone, posing as a fresh deviant and we'll see if he tries to take control of me."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Wee almost shouts while Mark and Ren both look appalled at the idea. "You think we'll let you walk into a situation like this alone?"

Connor looks at the three with a slight frown and nods. "It's the most logical decision. I'm a combat ready prototype..."

"I'll go with you and Red and Blue will stay outside the house and wait. We'll signal them if we need help." Ren's voice is hard and he turned away from Connor. His shoulders are rigid with tension.

"He may become suspicious if there is two of us, most deviants-"

"You won't be going in there alone, RK. You are our leader; do you really think we'll let you endanger yourself without backup?"

 

* * *

 

 

They stop their argument when it's time to leave for the junkyard, but there is still a visible tension between Connor and Ren that the others thankfully don't mention. Red and Blue are silent too, but their hands are clasped and showing their segmented android hands as they interface while walking. The WM400 and 500 hit it off right away and their personalities tended to be more reserved, but the two of them asked Connor to teach them how to fight in the second day. They were the ones that joined these junkyard missions the most, with grim determination and their presence visibly calmed Finn, who would be their look out for the night.

The dumping truck already left when they arrived, and with a final glance, Red and Blue split from their group, walking deeper into the pit. Connor touched Finn's shoulder, and after giving a firm nod, the android climbs up onto one of the neighbouring buildings, so he can watch for dangers from the roof.

Ren and Connor focus on the newly arrived, and they just start to scan an AJ700 who has no visible injuries, but is still deactivated, when Ren flinches and touches his LED. He visibly gets more alarmed, and when he faces Connor he almost unconsciously reaches out and holds his wrist in a tight grip.

"The humans are back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the longer wait, but I had... difficulities with this chapter. (Also I reinstalled Skyrim and spent like three days roleplaying a nervous hunter and it was great. I really have no excuses.) Not much action, but Connor needed an intervention so here ya go.
> 
> I hope you like it, and I'll try and hurry up with the next chapter because we are slowly getting close to some mayor action and I can't wait.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: physical fighting, morally grey (or almost black) decisions, talks about blackmail, murder and similar fun stuff

Miles Brown is afraid.  
  
He knows all the steps and decisions that led to this night but he is still wondering what is he actually doing here. The junkyard is an actual nightmarish hellscape of broken bodies and smashed in faces, left forgotten in a pit. Jake stopped cracking jokes as soon as they started down on the slope and the bodies pile up around them. His face almost glows in the dark it’s so white, and even Dan’s eyes are showing too much white for it to be natural. The distant sound of the city is weirdly louder in the silence of the junkyard. It’s still and dead and Miles feels like he is being watched.  
  
He is really glad Taye stayed on the street and didn’t come here.  
  
It’s easy to recognize the freshly dumped ’droids amidst all the others. They are cleaner and lie in the end of the slope near the closed gate with empty faces and still limbs. The closest to Miles is a male android and it’s face is unmarred as is it’s body except...  
  
”Why are it’s legs missing?’ His voice is cracks from the irrational fear but he is more embarrassed than afraid when Jake let’s out a mocking laugh. ”This place is creepy man, shut up!”  
  
”Oooh, does wee little Miles need a hug?”  
  
”Shut up Jake,” Dan bits out and the tension in his voice does make Jake stop. „It’s protocol to remove their legs. Apparently some wandered away before.”  
  
”Wandered away? They can do that?!” Now his voice is definitely higher than usual but he doesn’t even care as he looks around wildly. His flashlight just makes the shadows more dramatic when he anxiously sweeps over their surroundings.  
  
”Calm down you pussy, they are just fucking plastics.”  
  
Miles doesn’t calm down but he gulps and stays silent even if he still feels watched. The hairs on his arms are standing up and it’s hard to keep his flashlight steady when Dan pulls one of the ’droids away from the pile. His movements are fast as he pulls up the android’s jacket and with a few touches the skin recedes and he pulls out it’s thirium pump.  
  
Miles is not sure why he thought the android would give a reaction, it’s clearly deactivated, but it’s still a relief when it doesn’t move.  
  
”Okay, listen up kid,” Dan waves him over and Miles reluctantly goes to his side. The android’s white chasing is almost too light under the flashlight’s glare and the hole in it’s chest is surrealistic even with it’s skin deactivated. ”All you need to do is to watch the suction pump and make sure to stop it when a container is full. After that you change it to an empty one and restart the machine. That’s all you have to do until it finishes, got it?”  
  
Miles tries to swallow but his throat is suddenly dry like the desert. He doesn’t want to stay with a corpse, or something that looks like a corpse, with fucking bodies all around him, while the other two go off to who knows where!  
  
”I’m not sure about this...”  
  
Jake kicks the ’droid and it’s hard enough that it’s head caves in a bit and blue blood starts to slowly drip from the indent. "These are just junk you big baby, why the fuck are you so fucking scared?”  
  
"Fuck off Jake and don’t damage it further, we need the blue blood in the containers not on the fucking ground!”  
  
"I hate this fucking place man, and the kid is just wasting time!”  
  
"If he watches over the machine we can look for other ’droids, so it’ll be quicker, I _told you_ this-”  
  
"Somebody is here!”  
  
As the other two quiet down, it’s very easy to hear the slow, shuffling steps. It’s near, whatever it is and Miles tries to not think about all the bodies around him that could start to move. Their flashlights make the shadows deeper and the forms of broken androids seem to slightly move when the light passes over them. All the hairs are standing up on Miles body and his mouth is drier than the Sahara as a body shambles into the ray of Miles’ flashlight.  
  
It’s an android, with pale skin and dark hair, it’s LED circling from yellow to red and back to yellow in an endless loop. When it walks into the light it stops, then turns to face them and Miles forgets to breathe for a minute. The android looks human and there is real desperation on it’s face as it holds out one of it’s hand toward them.  
  
"Help, please, help me...”  
  
"You stupid piece of plastic-!” Miles' heart gives two heavy beats when Jake suddenly moves to deck the android, and he opens his mouth to... to warn him? Stop him?  
  
But it is unnecessary – the android ducks out of the way and then he punches Jake in the stomach, striking fast like a snake. The desperation is gone from it’s face, replaced by cold indifference as it kicks out Jake’s leg from under him and sends him sprawling in the dirt. The man is still trying to breathe after the first punch and he doesn’t even try to evade the second kick that aims for his head and just like that he is out cold on the ground.  
  
Dan turns – his flashlight shines into Miles’ eyes as he does – but is kicked back by something and staggers into the path of the first android. He tries to run, but the android snatches his arm. Then bends it, in a way it’s not supposed to go and Dan starts to scream. It’s high pitched and reedy and full of shocked pain. Then the android delivers punch to his throat with the heel of it’s palm and Dan chokes and drops like a marionette without strings.  
  
It’s just Miles now and his limbs start to shake when the dark eyes turn on him. The android’s face is empty, but those eyes are calculating and alive and-  
  
Something hits him in the back of his head and Miles is out before he could hit the ground as he drops.

 

* * *

 

 

Connor is looking at the child sitting before him and weights his opinions.  
  
The boy is young, fourteen years old maximum, and clearly the younger brother of the teen that Blue knocked out in the junkyard. He is stressed and scared and taking off the cloth that obscured his vision while they took him and the unconscious humans back to their base didn’t help much. They are alone in the communal flat, sitting primly on the couches, like it’s a social visit and not an abduction.  
  
The kid’s eyes wander around the furniture, the walls, the windows and he eyes the door obviously thinking about making a run for it, but he always looks back at Connor. These looks are fast like he is afraid to really look at him, but the first time he noticed the LED, he stared.  
  
”Your brother is Miles, if I’m not mistaken,” Connor says at last in a shooting, soft voice, and relaxes his face into something friendlier. The boy looks at him for a few seconds, then he turns his eyes to the ground. His nod is barely noticable but it’s enough for Connor. ”What is your name?”  
  
Silence. A quick glance, and he bits his lips but then he looks away again.  
  
”Miles is alright. I just need some answers and then you can see him again.”  
  
Glance. Silence. Fidgeting.  
  
”He and his friends wanted to harm others tonight-”  
  
”Dan and Jake are not his friends!” The kid’s voice is harsh and braver than he thought it would be. The dark eyes glance at him again before he puts his head down and concentrates on his clenched fists in his lap. ”Miles don’t want to hurt nobody Mister, but those two always pull him into trouble and he goes with them because...”  
  
Connor leans forward a bit and the kid glances at him again. ”Because? This is important; people would have gotten hurt tonight if me and my friends didn’t intervene. This is not just a bit of trouble.”  
  
”Ma is working hard,” he says and his voice is quieter, even as his mouth twists in an expression that looks odd in such a young face. ”She works two jobs and she cooks for others in the building for a bit of cash, but it’s never enough, you know? And Miles wants to help but he is just seventeen and Ma doesn’t let him get a job, because he doesn’t do so well in school and it’s more important.”  
  
He stops, apparently losing his nerve, but when he glances at Connor, he smiles and gives a small nod. ”Your Mother is right. As children your education should be the only thing you have to worry about. But it is not so with you two, is it?”  
  
”Miles just wants to help,” the kid repeats and his eyes are misty with frustrated tears, but steady as he looks at Connor. ”He didn’t know anything, Jake is just a violent dumbass, it’s always Dan who promises a bit of cash but...”  
  
”I see.”  
  
And Connor does; small African-American family with only the mother working, living in Detroit. It’s an ordinary tragedy that happens day after day and the children that grow up in circumstances like that are often pulled down into the gutter in the hopes of getting money to help their families.  
  
_’Bring in Miles please,’_ he sends to Ren when he decides where to go from here.  
  
Miles was reluctant from the start and clearly frightened, not just because of the environment if Connor saw it right. He shied away from Jake too, and the older man wasn’t shy to show his distaste for the kid. The group’s dynamic was easy to see; Miles, the runt of the group, the newbie, who was still on the fence about actually belonging; Jake, the muscle, but who didn’t contribute more than his violent tendencies; and Dan, who was the thinker and the apparent leader.  
  
He can use that.  
  
The door opens and the kid violently flinches, but when he sees Miles – his hands bound behind his back and escorted by Ren, but unharmed – his relief is plain to see. Miles’ face on the other hand crumbles when he realises they have his brother. There is desperation on his eyes when he looks at Connor as Ren pushes him down beside his brother.  
  
”Please don’t hurt Taye,” he says right away as his younger brother sits closer to him. ”He didn’t do nothing.”  
  
”We don’t want to hurt either of you,” Connor says slowly, his gaze intent on the teen as he leans forward. Both humans flinch back a bit. ”You and your friends on the other hand wanted to hurt my people tonight, didn’t you?”  
  
”They are not his friends!”  
  
”We didn’t- Be quiet Taye!” there is real desperation on Miles’ face when he turns back to Connor after silencing his brother. ”I didn’t know that the ’droids would be hurt or anything! Dan said that they are all deactivated anyway and... I didn’t know.”  
  
Connor believes him. ”And what would you have done with the blue blood that you extracted from our corpses?”  
  
Miles face is stricken when he hears the word ’corpse’ and he swallows under Connor’s heavy gaze. ”I don’t know. Dan said there are people who will pay for the stuff, but he just wanted me to man the machine. He would have paid me a twenty for the night.”  
  
”So the blood of my people is worth twenty dollars. Good to know.”  
  
Miles flinches and there is shame on his face before he lowers his head to hide it. Connor leans back and looks at the two kids, his thoughts fast as he weights his options before opening a line to Blue.  
  
_’Put them into the silent room and have Barry watch them, but he can take off Miles’ binds. Bring Jake in first. I want to let Dan think for a bit more.’_  
  
”You’ll stay in a room with mattresses and you can sleep if you want. We’ll talk more in the morning.” Miles’ opens his mouth, but seeing the hard look on Connor’s face just swallows and gets up when he feels Ren’s hand on his arm. The android escorts them to the door where Barry is already waiting and shuts the door before turning back to Connor.  
  
”Those are just kids RK,” he says softly and his face is troubled now that he isn’t hiding his feelings.  
  
”Kids can be just as dangerous as adults,” Connor says and now there is real alarm on Ren’s face, ”but I think they are alright. I think we should take them back to their mother in the morning and have a talk with the woman. I’m sure she will be grateful we didn’t harm either of them.”  
  
”You want to blackmail their mother?”  
  
”I don’t think that will be necessary,” Ren sighs and his shoulder is less tense but Connor is not finished, ”but I will if I have to.”  
  
They are looking at each other in silence until it’s broken when the door opens and Blue hauls in Jake, kicking, but not screaming because he still has a gag of cloth in his mouth. The man is clearly furious and his eyes are bloodshot but he still tries to resist when Ren and Blue pushes him down the couch and as soon as the gag is removed he starts to curse at them.  
  
”Let me go right now you goddamn plastics! I’ll take you all apart for this!”  
  
”I have a few questions Jake.”  
  
”Yeah, I have a question too you bag of bolts; tell me your deactivation code, right now and I’ll turn you off before we suck the blood out of you you fucking-”  
  
Connor hits him. It’s an open palm hit but it’s power snaps his head to the side and the action stuns him into silence. ”I want to know who would buy the blue blood and how would you exchange it for money. After that we can talk about what will happen to you. Are you with me so far Jake?”  
  
The man turns back around at spits at Connor, but he is dehydrated enough that the spit can’t travel far and it lands on his own jeans. This just makes him madder and his pale face is blotchy red with rage.  
  
”I won’t tell you shit you plastic asshole! Who the hell put you up to this? Call your owner right now; I’m a human and you can’t do this to me!”  
  
”I broke my programming a long time ago Jake; hurting humans is something that you’ll find I’m quite able to do if you won’t answer my questions.”  
  
The man quiets down at that and his heart rate climbs higher as his fear finally grows larger than his anger. He looks the two other androids behind him and their frowns, then back at Connor before finally starting to realise the position he was in.  
  
”Who would buy the blue blood and how would you exchange it for money?”  
  
”I won’t tell you shit. Go to hell, plastic.”  
  
”Should I prove how much violence I’m capable of then?” Connor asks lightly and smiles at Jake who rears back from him. ”These are really simple questions and they won’t know where I got my answers.”  
  
Jake keeps silent, but as Connor keeps his steady gaze on him it’s easy to see him come to a decision. ”They’ll kill you dead, plastic, but that’s alright with me. We would meet them near Ferndale station, tomorrow at eight. I won’t tell you their names until you let me go.”  
  
The mention of Ferndale makes Ren and Blue tense up, but Connor stays placid under the man’s eyes. ”Dan told us this much, but if you are not going to be more of a help than him, then you are useless to me.”  
  
Connor pulls out the pistol he took from the Phillips family’s apartment without making any grand gestures, but Jake still jumps like he was electrocuted. His eyes look very big and his face is pale as he finally starts to really fear for his life.  
  
”Wait, wait, I’ll tell you all I know, fuck, fuck, I’ll tell you everything, just put down the fucking gun holy shit!”  
  
It goes much smoother after that and Jake tells him everything he asks, from the names of their contacts to his own address. The interrogation takes one hour and twenty three minutes and the human is clearly exhausted by the end of it and just quietly goes after Blue when the android leads him out of the room.  
  
Connor is frowning as he stands up and goes to the window to look out and just think about all that he learnt even if his source wasn’t the most reliable.  
  
There are multiple paths before them and their window of opportunity is slim.  
  
”What’s the plan, RK?” Ren asks him and Connor let’s out a small sigh as he folds his hands behind his back.  
  
_'Isaac? I want you in the hallway of the fourth floor, so you can watch for both Jake and Dan while we talk.’_  
  
_’Roger that.’_  
  
_’Ren will patch in both of you and Barry in the discussion, but...’_  
  
_’Someone needs to watch them and we won’t be needed. It’s ok RK.’_  
  
_’Thanks Isaac.’_  
  
As he cuts the connection he knows Ren is already calling the others, so he can finally close off himself once more. He sways slightly as he raises his firewalls back up and the relief he feels is overwhelming. He has to steady himself on the window still with one hand as he runs a quick surface scan. He knows it was necessary to lower the firewalls when the humans turned up, coordinating with his team would’ve been impossible to do unnoticed otherwise, but the crawling sensation of openness made him seriously consider the option before finally lowering his defences.  
  
He is unsure why is it so important to have absolute defences now, when he is not in direct danger of Cyberlife, but he can’t help but scan for imperfections in his walls for the seventh time. It is slightly... odd, he admits, but only in the privacy of his own thoughts.  
  
In a few minutes everybody is seated around him, in a more grim version of their talk in the afternoon. It’s only been twelve hours, even if it feels longer and the faces that look at him are serious when he finally turns around.  
  
”As you all know we have four humans with us now. They went to the junkyard to drain androids of blue blood and resell it to a group of people who I’m sure has contacts with Red Ice producers.” Connor frowns a bit harder, but then sighs and turns to Finn, who is still holding onto Lea’s hand like a lifeline. ”Finn, are you alright? I know this night was not... ideal...”  
  
”Ideal?” Finn’s voice cracks and his stress levels climb a bit higher. ”I was only a lookout, but still got scared half to death while I waited for Ren to get the kid. A kid! He isn’t even a teen, why did he have to be there?!”  
  
Connor sighs and walks over to the android, before crouching down beside him and offering his hand up. Finn hesitates for a moment, but then he sighs and accepts his hand and the offer of interface. Connor shows him his absolute certainty that things will turn out alright after this night; shows him his pride at the way Finn was able to remain hidden even when he was panicking; shows him his gratefulness that Finn was there to warn them about the humans.  
  
The android is slow to trust the information he gets, but bit by bit he relaxes into the touch. When his hold is no longer the drowning man’s death grip, when it become just a gentle touch of artificial hands, Connor ends the connection and stands up, patting Finn in the back before turning to the others.  
  
”I think the best course of action would be taking the two kids back to their mother, and asking her to lend her name to us in exchange. Our activities would be much safer here if this building would be under someone’s name that we can trust. If someone would call the police because they notice the increased movements around...”  
  
”The police would check with the owner. But RK, can we trust that woman?”  
  
”There is a high probability that she would help us just because we got his kids out of a dangerous situation. I want Lea to come with me, so the meeting is as friendly as possible... But I'm not really worried. Taye gave me a very flattering picture of her character in a high-stress situation; that’s enough for me to at least try. I don’t want to hurt kids anymore than you want to, Ren.”  
  
The android nods, but his hands are still restless on his lap.  
  
”What about the other two?” Red’s face is pinched and his distaste is clear in the slant of his mouth. ”Jake is simply dangerous and I wouldn’t trust that Dan as far as I can throw him.”  
  
Connor slowly starts to pace as he tries to find the most diplomatic way to say his thoughts, even if there is really no way to soften the reality they’re facing. ”They are dangerous, yes. Even if we could be sure that they can’t find us or wouldn’t go back to the junkyard to rob our dead _or_ the living – and we can’t know this – I’m sure they would at least sell the information of our existence. Jake out of pure hatred, but I’m more worried about Dan. I can’t predict to whom he would take this information to.”  
  
The silence is oppressive as they all look at him, pacing from wall to wall like a caged predator. Connor knows this is the first moment when the chips are really on the table, and the first real test of their resolve.  
  
”You will kill them.”  
  
Mark’s voice is steady while his words fall between them like physical weights. Finn flinches and his hand grips Lea's tighter, but he doesn’t react otherwise. Connor thinks for a few seconds, but this is not the time to dance around the issue, so he just looks at his group with a hard gaze and nods.  
  
”I will.”  
  
The elephant in the room is finally addressed and somehow it makes the silence feel less heavy as Mark just blinks at the answer in acknowledgement.  
  
”Wee and I started to look into weapon shops that we would be able to rob while you were out, but we’ll switch to comb through Jake and Dan’s phones. I think-”  
  
Connor listens to him, but most of his thoughts are stuck on the weapon shops. There is a half formed idea stuck in his processors and as he thinks it over from different angles a plan starts to form. Not ethical and not morally right, but a plan that would give them a bit more time to act while remaining unseen. It would be killing two birds with one stone.  
  
Markus will be ashamed of his decisions, but Connor does not allow himself to think about that now.  
  
”We will go to their apartments and search anything that could be useful. Especially contact information of Red Ice distributors; I want to shut that down hard,” he says when Mark finishes and there is approval from the others; this at least is not a morally grey area to anyone. A dangerous substance that makes people more violent and it’s main ingredient is their own blood? Everybody agrees that it has to go. ”After that we’ll scope out the two shops and when we find our mark, we’ll leave the two boys there as decoys.”  
  
It’s Ren that understands first what he is saying and he seems both impressed and a bit horrified at the idea. ”You want to make it seems that they robbed the shop, but something went wrong.”  
  
"Yes. Crime done by an android has a few characteristics, and making it seem like two amateur drug addicts did it will guarantee that the police won’t think about who else could have been there.”  
  
Wee is the one that says what a lot of them think in the end; ”You are a cold bastard RK, but I’m glad you are on our side.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here ya go, our first conflict with the hoomans! Nobody gets injured but this world is not black and white and the enemies are not just faceless evil soldiers (David Cage go eat a cactus). As I said, the morally questionable things start from this point.
> 
> Markus will be so disappointed in us, I just know it.


End file.
